According to a report issued by the National Research Council (NRC), the United States’ investments in energy-efficiency research and development have generated significant economic benefit for the nation.
The NRC looked at 17 energy-efficiency projects representing $1.6 billion in federal investment. This is about 20% of the $7.3 billion that the Department of Energy (DOE) has spent over the last 22 years. It was estimated that this $1.6 billion investment yielded a net benefit of $30 billion.